Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging are bad for the environment.

What damage does plastic do to the environment?

What can be done by governments and individuals to solve this problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In recent years, a significant number of companies has increased the use of single-use plastic. Plastic is everywhere, from supermarkets to hospitals to restaurants. Despite of knowning this fact that plastic has detrimental effect on our environment we use plastic for almost everything. This essay will analyze what adverse effects of plastic are to the enviroment and what measures should we take to solve this issue.

The plastic produced by the companies are mostly single-use and takes years to decompose. In comtemporary society, the use of disposable items have increased. A considerable number of people find this convenient to use disposable items and after usage discard them. For instance, when a group of individuals going on a picnic or for some outdoor activity they prefer plastic cutlery, plates, and cups. Moreover, a significant number of coffee shops and restaurants utilise disposable cups, straws and boxes for take away or delivering order. Since, most of the rubbish are damp in the ocean it has adverse effect on marine life too. A number of sea creatures stuck in plastic bag and eventually die which is effecting marine life. Increase usage of plastic also has harmful affects on human health. For instance, prolong use of a plastic product causes the microplastic to mix with the food which is also the one of the reason of cancer.

To stop or minimize the usage of disposable products the government should take measures to spread awarness in public. This can be done by organising the seminars and workshop, debates on single use plastic, and teach students in the educational institutions about the detrimental effect of plastice on environment and mankind. The government can also impose heavy taxes on disposable items or ban some items by introducing their alternatives like paper plates, straws and begs. They can also held accountable the companies that dispose damp in oceans to safe sea creatures.

To conclude, as a memeber of a society it is everyone's responsibility to stop using plastic and try to use the alternatives. The government cannot alone solve this issue, every individual has to take part. It is crucial that we now think over this issue as a serious concern. However, many countries has taken this issue seriously by imposing ban on single use plastic products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the environmental and health impacts of plastic, as well as offering solutions from both governments and individuals. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For example, while the discussion on marine life and health risks is clear, the solutions suggested—such as organizing seminars and workshops—are somewhat general and lack detailed expansion. The writer maintains a relevant focus throughout, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task, though extending the arguments with more specific examples would push the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response into an introduction, body paragraphs addressing the prompt's questions, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different themes, such as the problems caused by plastic versus the solutions. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with transitional errors such as 'Since, most of the rubbish are damp in the ocean...' and occasional referencing issues that make the flow feel slightly disjointed. Cohesive devices are present but not always used with complete flexibility.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'detrimental effect,' 'disposable items,' and 'microplastic.' There are, however, noticeable errors in word form, choice, and spelling that reflect the current band level. Examples include 'knowning' instead of 'knowing,' 'comtemporary' instead of 'contemporary,' 'awarness' instead of 'awareness,' and 'begs' instead of 'bags.' Additionally, awkward collocations like 'dispose damp' hinder precise expression, though these errors do not severely impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional and relative clauses. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions. Examples include 'a significant number of companies has increased' (plural subject with singular verb), 'Despite of knowning this fact' (incorrect prepositional pattern), 'the use of disposable items have increased' (agreement error), and 'prolong use' (word form used as adjective). These errors require some effort from the reader to interpret, although communication remains generally clear.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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